The Misunderstanding
by unwittysidekick
Summary: What if Lisa had been the one to find Jeremy getting drunk at the end of 'The Bad Guy' instead of Nurse Gold Digger? Goes AU from there.


Disclaimer: None of this is mine  
Spoilers: The Nutcracker, The Birthday Present, The Bad Guy  
A/N: Consider the time line at the end of the ep tweaked so they're in the same place at the same time.

After the paramedics had taken Karen away, Nick at her side, Lisa made her way into the Darling living room. Finding Jeremy slouching on one of the expensive couches with a couple of shot glasses and a half empty bottle on the table in front of him, she made her way over to him. Spotting her, Jeremy filled up one of his glasses, raising it to her in mock salute.

"To the backstabber." He said before knocking back his drink.

Sitting down next to him, Lisa took the shot glass out of his hand, ignoring the indignant look he gave her, and poured herself a shot before responding. "So was that about my book, or about my throwing myself at my husband again?"

"Dude," he said, his speech slurring a little. "You're writing a book?" Even in his drunken state the sarcasm in his question came through clearly.

"Well I guess that answers that question." Lisa pours another shot and knocks it back.

Jeremy takes the bottle from her and pours himself another shot. He's about to drink it when the rest of what she said sinks in. "Wa, wait a minute, you threw yourself at Nick? Why do you keep doing that to yourself Lees?"

"Look who's talking. Why exactly are you sitting here getting shitfaced?"

"Shu up." He threw back his shot. "It's all _your_ fault. I only hooked up with her in the first place because..."He doesn't finish, opting instead to pour himself yet another drink.

Lisa stops him before he can drink it. "Because what?"

Jeremy reached out and traced his finger lightly down her cheek. He felt her shiver slightly at his touch. "Because you wouldn't give me the time of day."

"Jeremy," Lisa looked away from him, breaking contact. "I was married."

Jeremy sat his drink down and moved closer to Lisa. "Well you're not married anymore. So what's stopping you now?"

Turning back to him, Lisa hesitated a second and Jeremy found himself holding his breath, afraid she would get up and leave him again. Then she reached out and pulled Jeremy the last couple of inches towards her. Lips met lips in a frenzied kiss that deepened quickly. When their need for oxygen finally became too great they broke apart, reluctantly. At some point during their kiss Lisa had gone from sitting next to Jeremy on the couch to sitting on his lap straddling him, a position that left her acutely aware that his body was already beginning to respond to her. Lisa bit back a groan when Jeremy's lips fastened onto the sweet spot on her neck.

"How do we get to your bedroom from here?" She whispered into his ear, her voice husky with desire. She felt him grin against her neck before returning his attention to the spot just below her ear. One of his hands slipped under the edge of her shirt to stroke her back and again she shivered slightly at the skin on skin contact. She moved against him, eliciting a groan he only partially muffled against her neck.

"This way." He said shifting her off his lap so he could stand up. Kissing her one more time, Jeremy grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs and down the hallway that led to his bedroom.

***

Sitting out on the balcony patio the next morning, Jeremy relaxed on one of the reclining chairs waiting for Lisa to get back from talking with Kiki. The girl had called while they were in the middle of breakfast and Lisa had gone back inside to take the call. While he waited, Jeremy considered going back inside himself to get dressed, currently wearing only his boxers and a robe he hadn't bothered to tie, but decided against it thinking it would be more fun to try to get Lisa to _lose_ some of her clothing when she came back out.

"Jeremy!"

Jeremy sat up and turned around at the sound of his name. "Nola! What, what are you doing here?" He stood up as Nola walked over to him.

"My little brother is safe now and my father is taking him back home. I couldn't stop thinking about you though. So I flew back here to tell you that I've reconsidered Jeremy - I will marry you!"

"That's -" Before Jeremy can finish Nola pressed herself up against him, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Out of the corner of his eye Jeremy sees movement and turns his head slightly to see Lisa frozen in the doorway, a look of shock on her face.

Jeremy quickly pushes Nola away from him. "Lisa!"

The sound of his voice cuts through her shock and Lisa finds herself able to move again. She turned and moved back inside heading in the direction of the stairs.

"Lees wait. Wait!" Jeremy cried moving after her, leaving Nola alone on the balcony. "Lisa, she kissed me!"

"Like I haven't heard _that_ before!"

"Lisa -"

Reaching the top of the stairs, Lisa turns back unexpectedly bringing Jeremy to a sudden stop.

"Look Jeremy, let's just call last night what it was and leave it at that, okay?"

"And what was last night?"

"A night of wild, but ultimately meaningless, sex. Goodbye Jeremy." Turning around she takes the stairs as fast as she can without running down them.

"Lisa - !" Before Jeremy can move to follow her Nola comes up behind him.

"You slept with Lisa George?!"

"Jeremy turned to face her. "Nola I don't have time to get into this right now!"

But Nola doesn't let it go that easily. And Jeremy watched understanding dawn on her as some of the pieces finally click into place. "She was the one you were mooning over, back when we first met, wasn't she? So this whole time that we were together, she was the one you really wanted to be with?"

"Nola..."

Lisa pressed the button for the elevator again, hoping it would arrive quickly and she could make good her escape before Jeremy finished whatever it was he was doing with Nola Lyons and came after her. _Although I probably don't need to be worrying about that, he's probably already whisked her back to his bed._ Jabbing angrily at the elevator button for the third time, Lisa tried again to convince herself of what she had just told Jeremy - that her own experiences in his bed were just meaningless sex. So intent was she on this that she starts walking into the elevator as soon as the doors open, not noticing that someone was walking out of it at the same time.

They both take a step back, reflexively, and when they do Lisa saw that it was Nick that she had run into. _Great, just when I thought this morning couldn't get any better..._

Nick, for his part, when he realized who it was he had run into, took another step away from her a wary look on his face. "Lisa...what are you doing here?"

"Leaving. If you'll excuse me?" She said trying to step around him.

Nick takes another step to the side, clearing the way to the elevator for her when it hits him. "Wait, Lisa weren't you wearing - "

"Lisa!" Jeremy cried, rushing down the stairs. Seeing Nick standing there too, Jeremy skids to a stop a couple of feet from them, unwilling to get within arm's length of Nick again. His sudden stop causes him to lose his balance and his arms pinwheel around for a moment in his effort to keep from falling.

Nick looks from Jeremy, standing there in his underwear, to Lisa, dressed in the same clothes she had on when she confronted him the day before, a look halfway between shock and disgust on his face as understanding dawns. Before he can say anything though, Nola storms down the stairs, her body stiff with anger. Ignoring Jeremy and Lisa she nods slightly in Nick's direction.

"Nick."

"Nola." Nick nods back as Nola enters the elevator. She makes no further comment as the doors close behind her. Nick stares at the elevator doors for a moment before turning back to the two people still in the room with him. He finds Lisa looking anywhere but at Jeremy, obviously trying to ignore him, and Jeremy looking as if he wanted to say something to her. He kept glancing at Nick though, giving the impression he was unsure of the wisdom of saying what he had to say in front of the lawyer.

"Jeremy Darling?! You slept with Jeremy Darling?!" Nick said into the silence. "What were you thinking?"

"Dude, standing right here!"

"You know what, never mind, I really don't want to know. I'm sure, if nothing else, it'll make for an interesting chapter in that book of yours." With that he moved off in the direction of Tripp's home office, leaving Lisa and Jeremy standing there alone.

They watched him for a second before Lisa turns back to call the elevator back up again.

"Lisa, can we talk?"

"So where did Nola go?" Lisa's eyes were fixed on the elevator doors, unwilling to turn and face the man standing next to her.

Jeremy sighed and moved to stand between Lisa and the elevator so she had to look at him. "I told you Lees, you're the one that I want."

"Why?"

"Because you saw past the money and the name and saw the real me. Because you let me see a little bit of the real you" he smiles tentatively "even if you _were_ stoned at the time."

Lisa wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close, kissing him. After a long moment they break apart, both slightly out of breath. Jeremy rest his forehead against Lisa's and looks into her eyes a slightly goof grin on his face. "And because you're a great kisser. Did I mention that one already?"

Lisa shakes her head as she briefly pressed her lips to his again. Behind him the elevator doors slide open. Still wrapped up in Jeremy's arms, Lisa turns them both around so that Jeremy is now the one facing the elevator. She slowly backs into elevator, reluctantly letting go of him when she passed through the doors.

"Hey wait." Jeremy said, stepping forward to prevent the elevator doors from closing, a confused look on his face. "Where're you going? I thought..."

Lisa smiled at him. "I have to get to work. Some of us do have to work for a living. I'll see you later though."

The goofy grin was back on Jeremy's face as he stepped back from the elevator door. It was the last thing Lisa saw before they closed.


End file.
